Had the People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C) been daunted by the rants of popular naysayers, it would not have followed through with the Marriott Hotel, Hope Canal, or even the Berbice Bridge. These projects stand as a testimony to the party’s vision for development. It is because of this proven track record that the PPP/C will move ahead with the gas-to-shore project to ensure the people of Guyana have cheaper electricity. Outlining the foregoing during a recent interview was Vice President, Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo.
During that virtual discourse, Jagdeo explained the importance of the project saying that power is inextricably linked to the wellbeing of a nation. In Guyana’s case, the VP noted that it has been too long since the nation’s social and economic development has been stymied by high electricity costs. He said that PPP/C intends to change this while noting that it has mapped out what the demand for energy will be in the next five years.
The Vice President noted that the PPP/C has designed an energy mix that involves solar, hydro, and gas-fired power plants to fulfill most of those demands. The official said, “There are gonna be other things too, like one or two power wind projects, etc. that will meet the bulk of the demand (and) 250 megawatts will come from the gas-to-shore project.”
Following this, Jagdeo turned his attention to local critics such as Chartered Accountant, Christopher Ram, and Kaieteur News Publisher, Glenn Lall who have challenged him to prove that the project is a “no-brainer.” The Vice President was quick to note that if one were to examine the numbers, they would find his conclusion to be sound.
The former President said, “…If we are selling power at 30 US cents per kilowatt-hour, one of the highest in the world, we’re generating power now at 14 cents per kilowatt-hour. That is what GPL (Guyana Power and Light) is generating now. If we can, from the gas project, get power at 6 cents per kilowatt-hour and then that drops to about 3-4 cents per kilowatt-hour, imagine what we can do.”
Jagdeo continued, “If you cut the cost of energy by half to your population, and to industries, and still make a huge profit then, immediately, the economy will respond and people’s lives would improve. It’s a no-brainer.”
The Vice President also responded to the popular letter writer, GHK Lall, who recently chided the PPP/C for not being thorough as he said it is yet to examine the costs of solar projects versus the gas-to-power so as to ascertain which would be more feasible for the nation. But this line of reasoning, Jagdeo pointed out, is terribly flawed. Jagdeo said, “Solar can’t be compared with gas to power…Solar, you put up (panels to get) electricity…if you tie it into the grid, it’s fine. (But if) a cloud comes over the area, you then have to switch back to fossil fuel. If you have battery storage, it pushes up the cost enormously.”
Jagdeo noted that even the batteries can lose power after a few days which would force the need for a backup system in the form of fossil fuel generating plants. The official said, “So a lot of these guys are talking off the top of their heads, anecdotally.”
The Vice President said that while he is open to those who are posing serious questions and raising genuine matters of concern, he insisted that the PPP/C will not let “these gripers” impede the plans and vision of the party to take Guyana into 21st Century development.
